UNSC backs dialogue to prevent conflicts

Express Tribune

5 days ago

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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution aimed at strengthening mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the world body Islamabad was ready for dialogue with India.
The resolution, titled "Strengthening Mechanisms for Peaceful Settlement of Disputes" (Resolution 2788), was passed during a high-level open debate chaired by the deputy prime minister, who is currently on a visit to New York.
The resolution called upon UN member states to use preventive diplomacy, mediation, and dialogue to avoid conflicts and to fully implement the UNSC resolutions for peaceful dispute resolution as envisaged under Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
It also urged closer cooperation between regional and sub-regional organisations and the United Nations to resolve disputes through dialogue and confidence-building measures.
Dar, presiding over the debate as president of the Security Council for July, termed the adoption of the resolution "a collective reaffirmation of global commitment to diplomacy over confrontation".
Addressing the high-level session titled "Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes," the foreign minister said multilateralism was "not merely a diplomatic convenience but the need of the hour."
"Peaceful settlement of disputes is not just a principle; it is the lifeline of global stability," he said, warning that unresolved conflicts, geopolitical rivalries, and selective implementation of Security Council resolutions were undermining international peace and eroding trust in multilateral institutions.
He thanked all the UNSC members for their "constructive engagement" and called the resolution's unanimous adoption a "welcome expression of collective will to pursue dialogue and diplomacy for conflict prevention."
In a strong message on ongoing conflicts, Dar criticised what he termed "double standards" and "selective implementation" of the UNSC resolutions.
On Palestine, the foreign minister condemned Israel's military operations in Gaza, saying: "Israel's latest onslaught has killed over 58,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children. We call for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire that must pave the way for a two state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of an independent Palestine."
Turning to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Dar reiterated Pakistan's position that the dispute remains "one of the oldest items on the UNSC agenda".
"No cosmetic measures can substitute for the fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people as guaranteed by UNSC resolutions," he said, adding that Pakistan remained ready for dialogue but expected "reciprocity and sincerity" from India.
Dar also criticised New Delhi's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it "illegal and unilateral." He said the 65-year-old treaty was a "model of successful diplomacy" and accused India of attempting to withhold water essential for 240 million Pakistanis.
The foreign minister identified a "crisis of multilateralism" as the root cause of many conflicts, saying: "The problem is not of principles but of political will; not of institutions but of courage. The UNSC's credibility has been undermined by double standards and the politicisation of humanitarian principles."
He stressed that lasting peace could not be achieved through "power projection or unilateralism" but required "mutual respect and inclusive diplomacy."
Outlining a five-point agenda to revitalise multilateralism, Dar proposed: restoring trust in the UN system through equal treatment of all conflicts under international law, upholding the primacy of international law and rejecting occupation or denial of self-determination, using the UN Secretary-General's good offices and mediation support more effectively in protracted disputes, making peaceful dispute settlement the norm, not an exception, and rejecting bilateralism as an excuse for inaction and strengthening regional partnerships and preventive diplomacy under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.
Dar underlined Pakistan's commitment to multilateralism and global peace, citing its role as one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping operations.
"Pakistan's foreign policy remains anchored in the principles of the UN Charter — sovereign equality, non-interference, self-determination, and peaceful dispute settlement. We have always preferred diplomacy over confrontation, engagement over isolation, and partnership over polarisation," he said.
Concluding his speech, the foreign minister called for concrete action rather than rhetoric. "Let this debate serve as a reaffirmation of our faith in multilateralism and a solemn promise to those who look to this Council not for words, but for action. At the 80th anniversary of the UN, we must make it more relevant — as a platform for dialogue and an institution that delivers justice and sustainable peace."